i have long loved large scale, installation art. my first love was ann hamilton...i sat breathlessly combing through a book of her's at the bookstore and a love was born. probably the exhibit i would have most liked to have experienced was privation and excesses (which included a warehouse floor covered with honey and layered with pennies).

thennn...i discovered andy goldsworthy, whom i think i love more than the rest.

i'm also completely intrigued with christo (a subject not discussed in our family--religion, politics and christo!! mostly due to the proximity of my dad to the new christo project, over the river & the heated discussion of whether or not it's "art") .

so i was so excited to discover carol hummel this morning. i get a little thrill whenever i see a light pole or a bike rack with a little crocheted piece decorating it...and ms. hummel's work is the pièce de résistance of this sort of craft mafia. below are a few of my favorite photos...but definitely check out her website to peruse the pictures for yourself...

also, be sure to read her descriptions, as they are as inspiring and as lovely as the pieces themselves. from the "buddha bound" project:

"Tie yourself too tightly into any ideology and it becomes exclusionary. Therefore, all influences must be carefully considered and then accepted or rejected to ensure that the wrappings add to comfort, not confinement. "

{via sfgirlbybay via tas-ka}

i find these pictures intriguing...the buildings and surroundings are definitely european, which i love, and the water feature is so clean and modern. this combination of old-world and modern is one of my favorites.

{by architect phillippe allaeys}

{from hoping for happy accidents}

i'm obsessed with anything french. OBSESSED! and so, upon finding marie claire maison and marie claire idees, i entered a whole new realm of obsession. {hint...unless you speak french, if you google these, it gives you the option to "translate"...the translation certainly isn't perfect, but at least most of it is recognizable.}

these french homes make me hurt with the kind of desire that buddhists urge us to deny...the type of desire that leads to suffering! i can't help it. from the white on white interiors with white washed wood floors to the moroccan influenced beds and colors to the marie antoinette chairs (sometimes all together!!)....it's all just so good.

so...from the marie claire maison website, some of my very favorite photos (it was too hard to choose).

love, love, LOVE the white on white on white...especially the floors.

this flies in the face of all the clean, mid-century modern lines that i'm also enamored with. and yet, i think it could all live in harmony, too. there's such a sense of history and time in these lovely french homes.

i love the dewey-decimal system for the kitchen! {just think of all the lentils and rice i could stash in there.}

i don't think i'd ever leave the tub if it looked like this!

i'm not sure about that shiny floor {hmmm??}, but that tub! my goodness. and i love the cacti...and the color scheme. and...and...and...

color, color, color....this, THIS is why i love this magazine and all the lovely french design. it's french. it's bohemian. it's a little bit of everything.

yes. please!

i think i'm going to have to paint a dresser silver.

it seems that the american design magazines are so calculated. nothing ever looks like a human being lives in them...they're either so lavish that they border on absurd, or they're so modern and clean that they border on, well, absurd...almost prison-like. either way, they lack personality. everything in the marie claire magazines look lived in. and loved. and certainly has personality.

much like my own home {even without a louis XIV chair or saarinen table}.

my kingdom for....

(to paraphrase karla's reaction):

dana want...

dana need...

{by ochre}

oh my good word, a pink couch!! (& i love the beautiful steel greyhound...i think i'd have to have both!...that is, if hank would allow it)

(as soon as i can remember what blog i found this on, i'll link it)

pretty

some lovely fabric designs i recently purchased (and am anxiously awaiting!!)

{floragraphix by jason yenter}

this will be stapled to an old canvas and hung in the bathroom. voila! instant art (that won't be damaged by steam....how's that for thinkin'??)

{martha negley}

this lovely twig fabric will be hung as art in our bedroom. we have this big, blank wall behind our bed and i needed something large (& inexpensive).

{amy butler}

....in my dream world, i will swath myself, my home, my dog, everything, in amy butler fabric.

{also, amy butler}

...and pretty dresses

i found these dresses via {frolic!}. they're so pretty and feminine (without being grossly girly). once i went on the kara-line website, i was even more impressed. they make the dresses custom--based on colors, design, fabric preference, body issues, etc...also, the models don't look like sticks (a nice change). i also love the vintage slips underneath (or maybe they're apart of the dress?)...as i LoVE slips & wish every woman would wear one under a skirt or dress (please!! wear more slips, ladies!! i won't go into details, but we can all see through your dress...seriously, you're not fooling anyone!!)



this one is my favorite, as i love me a nice wrap dress.

pretty walls...

i'm a bit schizophrenic when it comes to decor and design--i guess i just like what i like. while i'm totally drawn to really clean, scandinavian & modern design, i also dream of a hand built house with rounded walls and little cubbies. it doesn't really matter much, because it will be awhile before i can afford either. for now, my sweet little 1955 ranch house will suffice.
but a girl can dream...

i very much love these walls from the Rang Decor blog


i like the detail around the window...


this one would fit in with both my modern aesthetic and earthy...that, and i'm really into yellow these days. i wonder if this wouldn't be something i could do myself??


this is copper embedded in terra cotta. perhaps someday, i'd do my whole kitchen in this! ahhhh....


this is another idea that i could maybe do myself. (i always think i can do things myself. more often than not, i'm lying to myself) =)

keep calm....

I am so excited to get my "Keep Calm & Carry On" poster!!! It should arrive any day (I hope).



You can get your very own from Victoria.

House O-Bodrum, Turkey

Okay, I probably shouldn't just keep posting homes I see on Materialicious' website, but I can't help it. This one Is. Just. So. Lovely.



I love how it's wedged in so discretely (unlike most of the monstrosities you see in the mountains of Colorado! or in Highlands Ranch-gag). In fact, the pool is partially under the front porch, becoming part of the architecture & not just a pool. (This would probably not be a good idea for me, as I tend to drop things while I'm trying to unlock the door--keys.cell phone.purse.etc...).

And I sincerely love the kitchen. I love when the indoor/outdoor boundaries are blurred. If that were my lovely home, you'd either find me in the pool (I'm obsessed with the idea of having a pool) or at that dining room table, drinking some thick, dark coffee...Turkish style!



You can see more pictures and information here & here

wary meyers

Now I know the Wary Meyers interiors have been blogged ad nauseam, but I don't care. I don't care, because I love these interiors so much that I have to record them in my small corner of the blog-iverse (I don't care for the term blogosphere....blech).





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I love the use of color & texture, of course. And the sense of whimsy...these do not feel like "decorated" interiors...they feel like someone's home. Like something I could strive for. Now, if only I could find some Saarinen Tulip chairs that won't require me to take on a second job...